The Evolution of Zarghona: From Breathless Regret to Breast Cancer Research

Ascend graduate Zarghona on a hike.

Five years ago, Zarghona fled Afghanistan. Today, she's a breast cancer researcher determined to make an impact for women everywhere, especially in her homeland.

by Ben Acheson

It was 2019 in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Zarghona was having doubts. Having recently joined Ascend: Leadership through Athletics, she was halfway into her very first hike, and the regret was building.

“Why am I doing this?” she asked herself. But, step by step, with encouragement from Ascend’s instructors, Zarghona completed that first hike. Then came another. And another. And another.

Gradually, she started to appreciate how hiking gave her “time to forget work, problems, issues and the challenges in the world,” Zarghona recalls. “I appreciate being attached to nature. I feel relaxed.”

For Zarghona and others like her, Ascend offered a space to do something that most Afghan girls could not even before the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021: It allowed them to safely thrive outdoors and, in the process, build leadership skills and confidence through athletic pursuits.

 “I want to serve this community,” Zarghona says. “I want to serve women.”

Today, Zarghona looks back and sees how hiking with Ascend fortified her mental and emotional strength in ways that are still helping her navigate life’s challenges, so many years later. The trips also made Zarghona see how hiking is a unique opportunity to switch her mind from other things.

The memory of one outing, in particular, makes her face light up: She and her Ascend peers were about to embark on an eight-day trip to Panjshir Province when unforeseen circumstances forced the group’s outdoor guide to cancel at the last minute. With no instructor to lead them, the girls’ plans for hiking, climbing, and camping were in jeopardy. After all, how could the girls go alone, when they already had to downplay their plans to their families or, in some cases, keep them entirely secret?

But they did it—and it turned out to be Zarghona’s favourite hike ever. “It was all girls, on our own, with no phones for eight days,” she recalls. And, just like in those earlier moments of hiking for Zarghona, another quiet evolution was underway.

An Evacuation, an Education, and an Evolution

To truly understand Zarghona’s story, it’s important to back up five years ago, to the dark August night, when Zarghona had a life-altering, nerve-wracking choice to make: Should she flee her country as a refugee, leaving behind her friends and family, or stay and watch her freedom disappear overnight?

Zarghona ice climbing.

With the Taliban on the verge of regaining control of Afghanistan, Kabul was on edge and women’s rights nation-wide were on the verge of extinction. Could she really leave the only home she ever knew? Ultimately, that’s exactly what she did, even in the face of her father’s initial reaction and her crying mother following her out the door. She still credits Ascend for helping her push through that most difficult moment.

“The main thing was making the decision,” she says. “If it was not for Ascend, I wasn’t able to leave. Ascend helped me to make the decision.”

But escaping Kabul was just the first step. Once free, she still had to build a future for herself, practically from scratch. Back in Afghanistan, Zarghona was the principal of a girls’ school. When she arrived on Galway’s wet and windy Atlantic coast, she initially hoped to teach. But teachers in Ireland are required to speak the Irish language.

So, Zarghona adapted. Having completed a chemistry degree in Afghanistan, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in biochemistry. She also secured an internship at the Apoptosis Research Centre in Galway, where she’s part of a team working to understand how cancer cells adapt and survive in hopes of uncovering new cancer treatments. 

“It was a headache every single day,” Zarghona jokes, recounting the challenges of improving her English while simultaneously grappling with Irish phrases, Galway accents, and scientific English. “I had to read a concept five times to get it,” she recalls. “I had to learn all the machines. I had never even been in a lab before. I struggled.”

From Refugee to Researcher

Fast-forward to the present day, and Zarghona has completed her master’s degree, helped along the way with her weekend hikes across Galway’s quintessential Irish landscape. She also remains the primary breadwinner for her family still living in Kabul, including her two sisters.  Now in her second year of a PhD program in breast cancer research, she’s excited for the life ahead of her.

Like so many Afghan women, Zarghona’s story is complex and tinged with tragedy. But, instead of focusing on the lack of options for Afghan girls, she’s quick to appreciate the opportunities that do exist, thanks to organisations like Ascend. Impassioned by the difficulties Afghan women face, especially regarding breast cancer, she wants to stay in academia so that she can make a difference in their lives.

“I want to serve this community,” Zarghona says. “I want to serve women.”

Even now, so many years later, Zarghona’s personal evolution is striking. Through Ascend, she found safety in hiking. Then it became an escape, allowing her to connect with nature and calm her mind. But, more than that, her experience with Ascend gave her space and encouragement to tap into her own personal agency.

“It helped me to have thoughts and the courage to say ‘No,’” she explains. “It gave me the confidence to trust myself, and the confidence to try. The best thing from Ascend is being able to choose the way you want to live—to stand for my dreams.”

 To learn how you can support young women like Zarghona, visit ascendathletics.org.

---

Ben Acheson is long-time Ascend supporter, an Ireland-based author, and an expert in peace processes. He spent nearly seven years in Afghanistan in the 2010s, before returning home to the Mourne Mountains in the north of Ireland.